SFPD announces arrest in Castro-area homicide near Safeway

  • by Eric Burkett, Assistant Editor
  • Monday December 12, 2022
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San Francisco police announced that they have made an arrest in an October homicide that occurred near the Castro Safeway on Market Street.
San Francisco police announced that they have made an arrest in an October homicide that occurred near the Castro Safeway on Market Street.

A suspect in a Castro-area homicide two months ago has been arrested and is being held in San Francisco County Jail.

On October 11, a man was found stabbed in the east end of the Safeway parking lot on the 2000 block of Market Street. The victim, identified as Otis Patterson, 44, of San Francisco, was taken to a local hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries "despite the lifesaving efforts of medical staff," the report stated.

Investigators eventually identified the suspect as Christopher Redinger, 37, who lives in San Francisco. According to a December 12 news release from the San Francisco Police Department, investigators found Redinger on the 900 block of Bryant Street around 5:56 p.m., December 8, and "developed probable cause to arrest him."

Redinger was transported to San Francisco County Jail where he was booked for homicide and a probation violation, according to an SFPD release. Redlinger's county jail file states he is also being held on a second-degree burglary charge.

The stabbing was the second time this year a violent attack had occurred in the area. In February, two people — a 21-year-old man and an 85-year-old woman — suffered gunshot wounds during a fight among a group of juveniles in the main Safeway parking lot, as the B.A.R. previously reported. The woman was actually across the street from the lot and was hit by a stray bullet, while the young man was allegedly a participant in the fight.

Although an arrest has been made in the October incident, it remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.

Updated, December 13: This story has been updated with the victim's name in the October 11 stabbing.

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